Setting Up Rings

Published: 05-10-2009
| Updated: 28-08-2014

Ring training is the ultimate method of bodyweight strength fitness as it demands a huge degree of control with the manipulation of muscles in a suspended state. It develops an excellent strength-to-weight ratio and helps build a dense, lean body composition.

Training on rings has become very popular not only because of these physical benefits but because the equipment is affordable, simple to use, lightweight and can be setup at home. The main requirement is that you have somewhere to hang the rings, and this is often a limiting factor for the home gym.

This article gives you ideas on how you can mount and setup your fitness rings in and around your home.

A Breakdown of the Rings

Firstly, we'll give you a quick breakdown of the rings. There are many fitness rings on the market but they're generally all designed in the same way;

Rings: Available in plastic or metal, or wood and varying thicknesses.

Straps: Heavy-duty webbing, usually Nylon, that's used to suspend the rings from a secure anchor point.

Buckle: CAM buckle to secure the straps around the anchor point and used to height adjust the rings.

Make sure to read the instructions specific to your manufacturer but the setup usually works a little something like this;

Feed the straps through the rings and over the anchor point

Press the lever on the CAM buckle and thread the strap through the underside of the buckle. Release the lever to secure the rings

Adjust the amount of strap fed through the buckle to alter the height of the rings from the ground.

Hanging your rings

The most important factor to consider when setting up your rings is the anchor point (the object from which you hang the rings).

You can hang the rings from any stable structure that can safely support your bodyweight and where you're able to attach to, or pass over the rings.

Here are a few common places where people are setting up their rings:

Setting Rings up at Home

Garage or basement rafters and beams

Securely installing eye bolts to the ceiling or beams to thread the ring straps (consider screwing these horizontally rather than vertically so the rings aren't pulling down in the direction that they're screwed)

Through a loft hatch

Using second floor stairwells

Settings Rings up in the Gym

Pull-up bars

Power cages

Settings Rings up Outside

Park equipment

Goal posts

Trees

...Get creative!

Things to consider when installing your rings

Here are some other pointers to keep in mind when mounting your rings;

Height of the Rings

Most Fitness rings come with straps from 16' - 18' and are fully height-adjustable using the buckles.

Ideally you need enough room so that you can hang from the rings without the feet touching the floor, combined with overhead clearance to perform a muscle-up and hoist yourself above the rings without the fear of consussion!

Width of the Rings

Gym rings should be fixed around 50cm apart or slightly wider than shoulder width, to allow for comfortable training.

The Surrounding Space

Where assuming here that you're strength training on your rings rather than performing gymnastics movements that include swinging dismounts! However, you still need adequate clearance around you to comfortably and safely train without limiting possible exercises.

A 6-8 foot clearance should be enough for most people.

Sturdiness

Your anchor point must be solid and stable enough to hold at least double your bodyweight and you need complete confidence in your setup to get the most from your training. Ensure that the hold isn't loose or rocking in any way whilst training.

If your environment meets the above criteria you sound all set for the most effective bodyweight strength training available that will help you build phenomenal strength and athletic ability.

Example Ring Installations

Checkout some example ring setups below for inspiration and if you'd like share your own solution please email them to admin@fitstream.com.

Garage Ring Setup

The photo below is a standard garage gym setup with fitness rings suspended from the exposed rafters. A towel is placed over the rafters to prevent the straps wearing out.

The garage roof is pitched and the rings are suspended on a centre rafter. The anchor point is around 14' high and provides more than enough room for the muscle-up.

As the rafters are exposed this is one of the easiest and most common gym ring set-ups as the straps simply loop over a rafter and are secured in place using the buckle.

By feeding more or less strap through the buckle the rings are adjusted in height from floor to ceiling. This allows you to vary your exercises from ring pull-ups to ring push-ups.

Living Room Rings Setup

This is an example of an innovative ring setup in a living room. This clever solution allows you to install the rings in a removable way and without compromising the flexibility to height-adjust the rings.

Warning: Requires an understanding housemate! ;)

The rings are setup with S-Hooks that are connected to eye-bolts drilled into a beam horizontally. The S-Hooks can be quickly detatched from the eye-bolts to take the rings down when not in use.

A binder clip can be mounted to a wooden rod to quickly reach up and hook or unhook the rings.

The following components were used in this installation and are all easily available to buy -

2 eye screws

2 S-hooks (pinched a little for safety)

Good rope from a sailing store

Plastic cleat (to secure rope to the wall)

Single pulley (Harken 2650 used in picture)

Double pulley (Harken 2638 used in pitcture)

Strap

Strap adjusters

Thank you to Richard Manderscheid for sharing his ring setup.

Portable Pull-up Bar with Rings

A pull-up bar can be a great anchor point for your rings, and if it's a portable bar design, this gives you added flexibility to take your ring training anywhere you'd like to go, from the garden to the bedroom.

The video below shows our Easy Ring Loops being used with rings on a portable pull-up bar at home.

Loft Hatch Rings

Using an open loft hatch with a weight training bar across it can be a smart way of hanging rings for anyone who's short on space or can't mount permanent fixings.

Just make sure that your loft is boarded out and is capable of holding your bodyweight.

If you'd like to share your own ring training environment to help inspire others, please send information to admin@fitstream.com.

Track your body and be inspired.

The information provided on this website is intended for informational purposes only, and should not be interpreted as specific medical advice. A qualified health care provider should be consulted before making decisions about therapies and / or health and fitness conditions.
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